Painter Invoice Template AustraliaFree, ATO-Compliant & Ready to Use
A free painting invoice template for Australian sole traders and small painting businesses. Covers m2 pricing, prep vs coats, paint markup, ABN, and 10% GST - plus the state-by-state rules on licensing and deposits that catch painters out. Or skip the template and use Invio to invoice straight from your phone on site.
No credit card - GST calculated automatically - Send from your phone
Example INV-0146
- C
Prep, on its own line
Prep - scrape, sand & fill, A$1,050.00
Job and line items
- C
Paint and materials
Dulux Weathershield + trim paint, A$1,150.00
Job and line items
- C
Scaffolding hire
A$520.00
Job and line items
- C
Waste disposal
A$55.00
Job and line items
The template
A filled-in painter invoice, shown at A4 widthExample figures, not a real jobABulimba Painting & Decorating Pty Ltd
12 Oxford Street
Bulimba QLD 4171
0417 552 908
ABN: 83 217 940 665
TAX INVOICE
BINV-0146
Issue: 27 Jul 2026
Due: 10 Aug 2026
Sent
Bill To
Grace & Tom Whitfield
9 Hawthorne Road
Hawthorne QLD 4171
| CDescription | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scaffolding hire. 2 weeks hire, full house exterior access2 x A$260.00 | 2 | A$260.00 | A$520.00 |
| Prep - scrape, sand & fill. Water-blast, scrape flaking paint, fill cracks, sand back14 x A$75.00 | 14 | A$75.00 | A$1,050.00 |
| Undercoat - exterior walls & trim. 1 coat primer/undercoat, weatherboard + trim9 x A$75.00 | 9 | A$75.00 | A$675.00 |
| Topcoat - 2 finish coats. Weatherboard, trim and fascia, Dulux Weathershield16 x A$75.00 | 16 | A$75.00 | A$1,200.00 |
| Paint & materials. Dulux Weathershield + trim paint, materials at cost + margin1 x A$1,150.00 | 1 | A$1,150.00 | A$1,150.00 |
| Waste disposal. Paint tins and drop sheets - transfer station1 x A$55.00 | 1 | A$55.00 | A$55.00 |
BPayment Details
Please use the following details to make a payment.
Bank: Commonwealth Bank
Account name: Bulimba Painting & Decorating Pty Ltd
Account: 3456 7890
BSB: 064-020
Reference: INV-0146
Notes
Exterior repaint - weatherboard Queenslander, 2 coats Dulux Weathershield
Thank you for your business!
What this invoice should carry
Sixteen fields, in four groups, keyed to the letters on the sample invoice above. Where a value is shown, it is the one you can read off it.
Your business details
Business name or trading name
On the sample: Bulimba Painting & Decorating Pty Ltd
ABN, required on every tax invoice
On the sample: 83 217 940 665
Phone number and email
On the sample: 0417 552 908
Physical or postal address
On the sample: 12 Oxford Street, Bulimba QLD 4171
Invoice identifiers
Invoice number, sequential for your records
On the sample: INV-0146
Invoice date
On the sample: 27 Jul 2026
Payment due date
On the sample: 10 Aug 2026
BSB and bank account for payment
On the sample: 064-020 / 3456 7890
Job and line items
Description of the work, specifying interior or exterior
On the sample: Exterior repaint - weatherboard Queenslander, 2 coats Dulux Weathershield
Surface area (m2) or hours, matching how you quoted
Prep, undercoat, and topcoat listed as separate lines
On the sample: Prep - scrape, sand & fill, A$1,050.00
Paint and materials at cost plus your markup, listed separately from labour
On the sample: Dulux Weathershield + trim paint, A$1,150.00
Scaffolding or access equipment hire, when you use it
On the sample: A$520.00
Waste disposal fee, for paint tins and drop sheets
On the sample: A$55.00
GST breakdown
Subtotal (ex GST), GST at 10%, and the GST-inclusive total, as three separate lines
On the sample: A$4,650.00 / A$465.00 / A$5,115.00
Customer's identity - name and address, or their ABN - required for invoices of A$1,000 or more
On the sample: Applies here - the Whitfields' name and address, shown in Billed To, satisfy it
Licensing and deposits are set state by state
Australia doesn't have one national painting licence or one national deposit rule. Both are set by your state, and getting the deposit wrong can put you offside with your own customer.
State
Licence needed above
Mechanism
NSW
A$5,000
labour + materials, incl. GST
Contractor licence, NSW Fair Trading, under the Home Building Act 1989
QLD
A$3,300
labour + materials, incl. GST
Trade contractor licence, Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)
VIC
A$10,000
domestic building work generally, but painting done as the only trade on the job is exempt from registration regardless of value
Registered building practitioner, Victorian Building Authority (VBA), Building Act 1993
Every other state and territory sets its own threshold and licensing body. Before you quote a job, check your own state or territory's building or fair trading regulator rather than assuming a number from interstate.
How to fill out a painter invoice
Follow these steps after every job to get paid faster and stay on the right side of the ATO.
Fill in your business details
Add your trading name, ABN, address, phone, and email at the top. If you trade as Bulimba Painting & Decorating Pty Ltd, use that - not your personal name. Your ABN must appear on every tax invoice you issue.
Set the invoice number and dates
Use a sequential number - INV-0146 after INV-0145. The invoice date is today. Set a due date (14 days is standard for residential repaints). Consistent numbering helps if you ever need to prove payment history.
Add the customer details
For invoices A$1,000 or more you must include the customer's identity - name and address is the simplest way to satisfy this. Do it on every job, including when you're billing a rental property manager rather than the homeowner directly.
Match the invoice to how you quoted
If you quoted per m2, show the m2 rate and area on the invoice, not a single lump sum. If you quoted hourly, show hours x rate. Consistency between the quote and the invoice is the single biggest thing that prevents a payment dispute.
List prep, coats, and materials separately
Split prep work, undercoat/primer, and topcoat (finish coats) into their own lines, then add paint and materials at cost + markup as a separate line. Example: "Topcoat - 2 finish coats: 16 hrs x $75 = $1,200.00". Add scaffolding or access equipment hire as its own line too.
Calculate GST and show it clearly
Multiply your subtotal by 0.10 to get the GST amount. Show subtotal, GST, and total as three separate lines - never just a single total. Use the free Invio GST calculator at /gst-calculator-au if you want a quick check before sending.
Add your BSB and bank details, then send
Include your BSB and account number, and ask the customer to use your invoice number as the payment reference. Then send it as soon as the last coat is dry. "Pay to: Bulimba Painting & Decorating Pty Ltd, BSB 064-020, Acc 3456 7890, Ref: INV-0146" is all you need.
Lead paint on older homes
Genuinely worth knowing before you quote a repaint on a pre-1970 property, not just for your customer's sake.
Built before 1970?
Paint containing lead was commonly used in Australian homes built before 1970. If you're sanding, scraping, or heat-stripping paint on an older property, assume it contains lead until you've tested it.
Test before you disturb it
The Australian Government's Lead Alert guide recommends testing paint before starting work, then using wet sanding, wet scraping, or chemical stripping rather than dry sanding or open-flame heat guns, which release lead dust and fumes.
A WHS duty, not just advice
If you run a painting business, work health and safety laws require you to manage the risk of lead exposure to yourself, your team, and the occupants. Check your state WHS regulator's lead-paint guidance before quoting a pre-1970 repaint.
Common painter invoice mistakes
These mistakes slow payment, create disputes, or put you offside with the ATO or your state regulator. Easy to fix once you know them.
Invoice does not match the quote
e.g. Quoted $32/m2, invoiced "Painting - $2,720" with no breakdown
If you quoted per m2, show the same m2 rate and area on the invoice. A mismatched format - even at the correct total - invites the customer to question the number.
Prep and coats lumped together
e.g. "Exterior paint job - $3,150"
List prep, undercoat, and topcoat as separate lines. It shows the customer what they paid for and protects you if there is ever a question about how many coats were applied.
Wrong or missing GST
e.g. "Total: $5,115" with no GST line
Show subtotal, 10% GST, and GST-inclusive total as three separate lines - or the statement "Total price includes GST". Commercial and rental-management customers need this to claim GST credits.
Asking for a deposit above your state's cap
e.g. "30% deposit required before we order paint"
Check your state cap first - NSW caps residential deposits at 10% by law, VIC and QLD at roughly 5-10%. A deposit above the cap is not just bad practice, in NSW it is an offence.
No BSB or bank details on the invoice
e.g. Invoice sent with no payment instructions
Always include your BSB and account number, and ask for the invoice number as the payment reference. No bank details means slow or lost payments.
Sending the invoice days after finishing
e.g. Invoice sent a week after the last coat dried
Send it as soon as the job is done and the site is tidy. If an invoice is already overdue, see our guide on chasing overdue invoices at /chase-overdue-invoices-au.
What goes on the lines, and what it usually costs
The lines a painting invoice tends to have, in the three groups they fall into.
Labour and area pricing
Priced per hour, or per square metre
Standard labour rate
Hourly-quoted work
$65 - $90/hr
Ex GST. Metro areas tend to run higher; regional Australia lower.
Interior repaint
Per m2, standard prep + 2 coats
$28 - $45/m2
Higher for dark-to-light colour changes.
Exterior repaint
Per m2
$40 - $65/m2
Higher than interior due to access, weather delays, and heavier prep.
Materials
At cost plus your markup
Paint & materials markup
On top of supplier cost
Cost + 20 - 30%
Covers handling and supplier runs. List materials at your sell price - you don't need to show your cost.
Access and disposal
The lines other trades do not have
Scaffolding or access equipment hire
Per week, usually passed through
$250 - $650/week
Usually passed through at cost, sometimes with a small margin for arranging it. GST still applies - see the FAQ below.
Waste disposal
Paint tins, drop sheets, job waste
$40 - $70
Flat fee for job waste.
Indicative GST-exclusive ranges for 2026, to sanity-check a line you have not priced before. GST itself is 10% on top of the subtotal once you are registered - use the free GST calculator to check. They are not a price guide and not advice on what to charge: rates vary by region, by job, and by how many coats the surface actually needs.
Why Invio beats Word and Excel for painters
Templates are a fine starting point. But most painters move to proper software once they are quoting multiple jobs a week.
Invoice from site once the job is done
Fill in the m2 area, prep, coats, and materials before you pack up the ute. No paperwork to reconstruct at the end of the week, and the customer gets it while the paint is still drying.
While it's still drying
GST calculated automatically
Invio does the 10% for you across labour, materials, and any scaffolding hire - no spreadsheet formula to accidentally break.
INV-0146Sent
SubtotalA$4,650.00
GST (10%)A$465.00
TotalA$5,115.00
10% on every line
Saved clients and m2 rates
Store your repeat customers and standard m2 rates. Next job for the Whitfields? Two taps and the invoice is half-filled already.
Two taps
Quotes that turn straight into invoices
Build the quote with your m2 rate and area, then convert it to an invoice once the job is done - the numbers carry across so nothing gets retyped or mismatched.
Nothing retyped
Payment reminders built in
Invio Pro sends automatic follow-ups when invoices go overdue - so you are not the one making awkward calls to a homeowner who owes you for paint you already bought.
Automatic reminders
Overdue: Invoice INV-0146 is outstanding - A$5,115.003 days after the due date
Paid. Reminders stop.
Automatic follow-ups
PDF ready to email or print
Send the invoice by email directly from Invio, or download a clean PDF if the customer or property manager prefers paper.
Example e-mail
Invoice INV-0146 from Bulimba Painting & Decorating Pty Ltd
Here's your invoice from Bulimba Painting & Decorating Pty Ltd - a PDF copy is attached, and you can also view it online anytime.
Invoice-INV-0146.pdfOne click
What a painter's invoice carries that the others do not
Every Australian trade invoice needs the same GST basics. Past that, the paperwork splits by trade - here is what is specific to painting work.
3 states, 3 rules
Licensing is a state threshold, not one number
There's no single national painting licence - NSW, QLD, and VIC each set their own dollar threshold before a contractor licence kicks in, and every other state sets its own too. See the table above before you quote.
$40 - $65/m2
Priced by area, not just by the hour
Painters are the one trade on this list that regularly prices by square metre rather than by the hour. Matching the invoice to how you quoted - m2 or hourly - is the biggest thing that prevents a dispute.
3 lines, not 1
Prep, undercoat, and topcoat
Splitting prep, undercoat, and the finish coats into their own lines is specific to painting - it shows the customer what they paid for and protects you if there is ever a question about how many coats went on.
$520.00
Scaffolding hire, passed through
GST still applies to what you charge for the hire, even though the hire company already charged you GST on theirs - see the FAQ above.
Painter Invoice FAQs
Common questions from Australian painters about invoicing, GST, licensing, and getting paid.
Do I need to add GST to my painting invoice?
What's the minimum information a painter invoice needs in Australia?
Do painters need a licence in Australia?
How much deposit can I ask for on a painting job?
Should undercoat and topcoat be listed separately on the invoice?
How do I charge for scaffolding or access equipment?
Is lead paint something I need to worry about?
What about progress claims on bigger jobs?
Invoice every painting job correctly, from your phone
Invio is free for sole traders. Set up your m2 rates once, send GST-compliant tax invoices from site with your ABN and BSB saved, and let automatic reminders handle the chase - free on your first 3 invoices, unlimited on Pro.
Free to start - GST calculated automatically - No credit card required